Melissa Ruth was born in British Columbia and raised on a balanced diet of borscht and Bob Dylan. Her young life was at turns isolated, rugged, and joyful. She grew up listening to stories of her family's survival on the Canadian prairie and stories of survival in the provincially-run residential school for Doukhobor Freedomite children that her father and aunties attended. Melissa's latest release, Bones (2023), is an exploration of how a childhood spent in the rural mountains of British Columbia surrounded by these stories shaped her.  Equal parts country and blues, Melissa's music is firmly rooted in the rural West. Through her distinctive voice and adept songwriting, she leads us through the timber and mining towns that speckle her part of the world while weaving throughout stories of grit, determination, and precious joy. Ruth has four self-produced albums to her name as well as having produced a live album by…